KARACHI: Cricketers from Pakistan Super League (PSL) team Islamabad United, including foreign inductees, will arrive in Karachi tonight to play the final of the third edition of the tournament against Peshawar Zalmi.

Islamabad, the winner of the inaugural edition of PSL, defeated Karachi Kings in the qualifier in Dubai to earn a direct flight to the final in Karachi, which will be played on Sunday.

“We are arriving tonight to Karachi, our foreign players are also coming with the squad for the match,” said an official of Islamabad United.

Islamabad United coach Waqar Younis has declared that his side are not overly concerned with containing Peshawar Zalmi's 'red-hot' batsman Kamran Akmal in Sunday's Pakistan Super League 2018 final at National Stadium Karachi.

The veteran Zalmi opener is in the form of his life and currently leads the PSL 2018 run chart. But Younis believes anything Akmal can do, Luke Ronchi can do just as well for United, cancelling out any edge at the top of the order for either side.

"If Kamran Akmal is in red-hot form then Luke Ronchi is too," said the United coach in Saturday's pre-match presser.

He agreed that the elder Akmal deserves being made national captain Sarfraz Ahmed's understudy, but doesn't think the two can play together due to Akmal's deficiencies in the outfield.

"Kamran Akmal has been performing for several years now," he said. "It's unfortunate for him that he has the same role as the Pakistan captain, who obviously is irreplaceable. The only thing you can do is maybe take him (Kamran Akmal) as a backup.

"You can keep him in the team but of course you can’t remove the captain and as a fielder, I doubt Akmal can play."

Younis believes the conditions at National Stadium Karachi are conducive to high-scoring cricket and if it remains that way the fans will get to see a run-fest on Sunday.

"As far as the pitch is concerned, it looks great," he said. "International cricket hasn’t taken place here in ages but domestic cricket matches tell us that teams make heavy scores here, especially due to shorter boundaries, which are the same as they were in Dubai and Sharjah.

"The weather is also great and if it remains that way then I’m hopeful that this would be a high-scoring game."

But United coach was not too hopeful of captain Misbahul Haq taking any part in the final due to his injury.

"We will assess Misbah’s fitness one last time tonight," he said. "It seems as if it’d be difficult for him [to play]."

But one batsman who is certain to play and expected to play a starring role in the final is the young Hussain Talat and Asif Ali, both of who have impressed mightily in the tournament.

"Hussain Talat is a very talented kid; we saw him in this PSL as well as the last one," said Younis. "He has won us some games, the credit of which goes to Islamabad United for nurturing him and inducting him into the side.

"Both of them (Talat and Asif Ali) are very talented kids. If they make it to the Pakistan squad it will be a great achievement for them as well as Islamabad United."

Sat alongside Younis in the presser was JP Duminy, who was asked if he is fazed by the state-level security provided to PSL teams. His answer was in the negative.

"No, not at all," the South African said. "Yes, it’s a unique situation but we cherish this opportunity to not just play in Pakistan but also in a PSL final."

“We’re happy to be in Pakistan, it is a peaceful country,” said Luke Ronchi. “People welcomed us with open arms.”

Spinner Shadab Khan said he was proud to be a part of the PSL in Pakistan. He thanked foreign cricketers for coming to Pakistan.

“We feel really happy to show these guys (foreign players) where we played all our lives and to show them that we are a peaceful country,” he added.

Regarding the final, Shadab Khan credited Islamabad United spin bowling coach Saeed Ajmal with teaching him a lot. He said that the team would perform well in the final as well.

Steven Finn said that Shane Watson was the toughest batsman that he had faced in the PSL.

“I’ve learned that he can really take on the bowler as soon as he picks up the line and length,” said Finn. “Among the Pakistani batsman, I think Karman Akmal was the toughest to bowl to this year,” he added.

Shadab Khan said that he was fortunate that God had blessed him with the ability to bowl lots of varieties such as the Googly, slow ball and the leg spin. He thanked Sarfaraz Ahmed for placing confidence in him especially when he had come to the squad as a newcomer.

“Sarfaraz is an aggressive captain and wants his teammates to play attacking cricket as well,” he said.

Steven Finn praised Islamabad United captain Misbah-ul-Haq and said that the former Pakistan skipper was really skillful in reading the game.

“Certain situations occur in T20 cricket when a captain has to take the make-or-break decisions and that’s what Misbah has done so well,” he said.

Shadab Khan said that Pakistan team coach Mickey Arthur was aggressive too and when he was not happy with players, he let them know.

“Mickey Arthur is an aggressive captain but only on the field,” he said.

Steven Finn said that there was a lot of talent in Pakistan and the players performed with passion. He said that what some cricketers had done in the PSL was what they referred to as ‘freaky cricket’.

Misbah-ul-Haq "It's a really happy moment for me the way the whole team played, that's the ultimate goal. It's not about personal achievements at this stage of the career, it's all about the team winning and youngsters getting through"

KARACHI: Jean-Paul Duminy, the South African cricketer who captained Islamabad United in the absence of Misbah-ul-Haq, noted Sunday night that many of the foreign players would like to come to Pakistan again.

Commonly known as JP Duminy, the South Africa T20I team's vice-captain said he was very happy after the team's performance in the final game of the Pakistan Super League's (PSL) third season.

"I will always remember this victory," the sportsperson commented, hours ahead of his departure from Karachi, adding that over the past few days, the international guests were well-taken-care-of.

Duminy said he was "proud of the love we received from the Pakistani people".

He also reiterated what most are saying these days: that this was the first step towards bringing international cricket back to Pakistan.

'Boys performed well'
Speaking about the stunning faceoff between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi Sunday night, Duminy said it was an "unbelievable" experience despite being "under a lot of pressure".

"The boys performed well. [And everyone] played well in the whole tournament — be it foreigners or the young Pakistani boys," he added.

He said although he did not really expect to captain the United, leading the team to victory was "an honour" and "one of my memorable moments" on this trip.

"The fact that the team played well makes me happy," said Misbah-ul-Haq, who suffered a wrist hairline fracture and, thus, had dropped out of the final few games.

"Captaining Islamabad United was one of my memorable moments," he said.

Duminy didn't get NOC but came anyway
The batting all-rounder had decided to visit Pakistan — Lahore and Karachi — for the remaining matches of the PSL despite the Cricket South Africa (CSA) refusing to give him no-objection certificate (NOC), espncricinfo had reported prior to the 'Eliminator' matches.

The report had said the South African player was originally denied a NOC by his home board but decided to make a trip on his own by signing an indemnity form with CSA.

FOR all the hype that Islamabad United had created after the players’ draft, it was only fitting that they won the coveted PSL trophy in front of thousands of people at the National Stadium, Karachi on Sunday.

When Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s most successful Test captain, lifted the trophy in front of the home crowd amidst loud cheers, it felt as if Pakistan cricket have come full circle. It was a sight to behold indeed. For the man who had played a significant role in restoring the image of Pakistan cricket team after the nasty spot-fixing scam at Lord’s in 2010, it was only fitting that Misbah got the honour of bringing back smiles on the faces of cricket-deprived fans in Karachi and, of course, Pakistan.

Barring their shaky start to the tournament, Islamabad United never looked in trouble at any stage in PSL III. In spite of losing three match-winning players in Andre Russell, Rumman Raees and Misbah to injuries, they continued to dominate, such was the depth of talent in their squad.

Their team management also deserves a lot of credit for persisting with Shadab Khan, who despite having an average PSL by his own standards, came in handy when it mattered the most. He picked up the important wickets of Andre Fletcher, Darren Sammy and Umaid Asif in the final - all of whom are capable enough to steal the show with their clean-hitting abilities.

Despite a few hiccups at the beginning, Young Hussain Talat also got a chance to showcase his talent and played a superb knock of 48 n.o. against Multan Sultans in a match that looked all but over for them at one stage when they were reduced to 63-5 while chasing 114 in Dubai.

Sahibzada Farhan also made his mark in the final and struck five 4s and one 6 in a flamboyant innings of 44. Farhan was also rated highly by fellow opener Luke Ronchi, the man who wreaked havoc with the opposition throughout the tournamennt.

They say cricket is a team-sport, but on many occasions, Ronchi defied that with his solo impact. At times, Ronchi was so ruthless with the bat that he finished the game in the powerplay overs and had scant respect for the bowlers no matter who they were.

Even in the final, if not for the late batting collapse, Islamabad United would have steamrolled Peshawar Zalmi because of the dream start provided by Ronchi. He scored a blistering 52 comprising four 4s and five 6s in his trademark style to pulverise the Zalmi bowling attack.

A rejuvenated Mohammad Sami also contributed wonderfully with the ball for Islamabad United and made sure that he didn’t give away any respite to the opposition in the tournament. It was great to see the 37 year old bowling his heart out every time he came on to bowl. He was quick and accurate and mighty effective. It was the perfect embodiment of the bowler Imran Khan had once predicted Sami to become.

Two of United’s star players, Alex Hales and Sam Billings, pulled out of the Pakistan leg but that didn’t hurt Islamabad as much as the withdrawal of Kevin Pietersen and Shane Watson.

JP Duminy led well in Misbah’s absence and could well replace him as permanent captain if the latter decides to hang up his boots for the next season.

Credit must also be given to Dean Jones and Waqar Younis who helped the players train vigorously in practice sessions and gave them useful pep talk every time they went into the field.

Two wins in three editions for Islamabad United proves the point that their homework was far better than the rest and they kept their focus and persisted with fine team combination to clinch the trophy.

KARACHI: Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis may have formed arguably the most deadly bowling partnership the world has ever seen but the similarities between the duo ended with their two monikers — the two W’s and the Sultans of Swing.

While both pacers employed pace and swing to devastating effect against the best in the world, the way they did it could not have been more different. Left-armer Wasim employed wit, guile and control to bamboozle the opponent, making the most elegant of batsmen look foolish and ungainly.

When the batsman has no way of knowing which way the ball will swing all he can do is make educated guesses. But there is only so long you can survive with educated guesses. In the end, Wasim got you. He always got you. It wasn’t a matter of if but of when.

Waqar, on the other hand, was a ferocious beast unleashed upon the realms of batsmen. He was the battering ram to Wasim’s wily fox. You knew what he was doing. You knew about the pace. You knew about the inswing. You knew about the yorker, that toe-crushing missile of a yorker. You knew it all.

It was just that there was no way to stop it. Waqar could walk up to any batsman in the world, look him straight in the eye and tell him the next ball was going to be an inswinging yorker and the batsman would still not be able to do anything.

So fruitless was any form of resistance that any hope the batsman had depended not on his own ability and technique but on the chance that Waqar wouldn’t get it right. Because if he did, and he more often than not did, you might as well start your long walk back to the pavilion before he even starts his run up.

Both bowlers were equally talented and mercurial, yet how they deployed those talents varied vastly. It is fitting then that the two champion Islamabad United sides were made in the image of these two men.

Wasim’s Islamabad, the one that won the first edition, had so many tricks up its sleeves that you never knew what would get you. It could be an unknown teenaged leg-spinner called Shadab Khan or a chubby left-handed opener named Sharjeel Khan. It could be the athleticism of Andre Russell. It could be the experience and know-how of Misbahul Haq and Shane Watson. It could be the pace of Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Sami and Rumman Raees.

The opposition had no way of knowing and therefore had no way of defeat it. After all, how do you conquer something you cannot even understand? How do you dominate the unfathomable? And so they won the first edition; a team built in Wasim’s image.

Waqar’s Islamabad, the one that won the third edition, was more of a wrecking ball. You knew what it was going to do. There was just no way of stopping it.

A pattern developed somewhere in the second part of the group stages. Suddenly, ominously, everything just clicked into place. Luke Ronchi made the outrageous look embarrassingly easy, Hussain Talat and Asif Ali came of age, Faheem Ashraf kept taking wickets in the middle overs, even injuries to Rumman Raees and Misbahul Haq helped in a convoluted way by increasing the depth in the batting line-up.

One by one, teams were swept aside and Islamabad United surged up the league table. In their opening three games, Islamabad won one and lost two. Their next nine games resulted in eight wins; the only exception being the dead rubber against Karachi Kings in which they rested most of their main players.

Almost all of those wins were delivered in similar fashion. There was the blitz at the top of the innings by Luke Ronchi. There was the calming influence of the other opening partner. Hussain Talat guided the innings and Asif Ali launched it. The long batting line-up meant even the continuous loss of wickets didn’t necessarily curtail momentum. It was in the powerplay that they really got you; both with the bat and with the ball. Faheem Ashraf — arguably the weakest link in the bowling attack — finished as the tournament’s top wicket-taker because he was the only one the batsmen felt could be taken for runs.

The final was a Waqar Younis inswinging yorker. Peshawar Zalmi knew what was coming but still found it impossible to deal with. Barring a few overs of defiance in both innings, they had no answer for it.

In the end, like all the batsmen who faced Waqar in his prime, they found a raging storm brings even the mightiest of warriors to its knees.

Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Islamabad United, who were crowned champions in the third edition, will host a grand victory parade on April 8 to ‘commemorate and celebrate’ their second title.

Islamabad beat Peshawar Zalmi by three wickets in the National Stadium of Karachi on March 25 in front of a houseful crowd, and the franchise, owned by Leonine Global Sports, wants the fans to be a part of the celebrations.

“This is a proud moment for Islamabad United and for the people of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gilgit-Baltistan and the entire Federation” owner of Islamabad United Ali Naqvi was quoted as saying in a press release. “We want to celebrate our victory in style with the people who deserve it the most, our dedicated fans. By bringing the trophy and the team’s players home, and holding this parade we want to bring Islamabad, and by extension the entire federation, together and rejoice as one. I invite all Pakistanis to come and celebrate this win with us on April 8.”

The parade will start at 1630PST from D-Chowk and will culminate in F9 Park where the public would be allowed to meet the players from the franchise and see the winner’s trophy as well.

Islamabad United captain Misbah and owner Ali Naqvi pose with President Mamnoon Hussain in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) third edition may have ended, but Islamabad United’s victory celebrations certainly haven’t!

The two-time PSL champions called on President Mamnoon Hussain at the President’s House on Monday, a day after the team held a victory parade in the capital where fans gathered in hundreds to welcome the players and catch a glimpse of the glittering trophy.

At the President’s House, Islamabad United captain Misbah-ul-Haq, owner Ali Naqvi and the players met with the President, who congratulated the team on its victory and lauded the PSL’s role in bringing cricket back to Pakistan.

President Mamnoon said the successful hosting of the PSL sent out a message to the world that Pakistanis are a peaceful nation that loves sports. It showed the world that terrorism has been defeated and peace has triumphed, he said.

The premier said the revival of cricket will also promote the country’s sports goods industry, which will in turn play a role in improvement of economy by employing more people.

He pointed out that games inculcate a spirit of tolerance and sportsperson spirit that are vital for any nation to succeed, adding that the nation has high hopes from young cricketers.

KARACHI: To celebrate their momentous victory with their leading official partner, the Islamabad United team champions of PSL 3 brought the winning trophy to PTCL Headquarters. PTCL President and CEO Dr Daniel Ritz, Owner of Islamabad United Ali Naqvi, along with other PTCL and Islamabad United Management members were present on the occasion.

The Islamabad United management and players interacted with PTCL employees, who were very happy to see the Islamabad United stars amidst them. PTCL management also announced a cash reward for the Islamabad United team players for their remarkable performance in the tournament.

Speaking on the occasion, Syed Shahzad Shah, EVP, Marketing & Communication, PTCL, said, “We welcome the Islamabad United team to PTCL headquarters to celebrate this glorious win. Along with PTCL, they have made the whole nation proud with their consistent performance. Out of 3 PSL editions, this is the second time that they have won the PSL Trophy, which is a testimony to their abilities and resilience as a team. This win is, not only a win for Islamabad United, but also a win for PTCL and its continued patronage to Pakistan cricket.”

Former Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq has decided that he will not take part as a player in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

According to Daily Express, the veteran right handed batsman — who helped United win titles in PSL season one and three — has decided to call his time as a player in the Pakistan’s premier T20 competition.

Misbah represented United in 26 matches during first three editions where he scored 381 runs at an average 25.40.

It will be interesting to see who will lead the franchise in season four as South Africa all-rounder JP Duminy, who led the side in the absence of Misbah in season three, has already announced that he will not take part in the tournament’s next edition.

However, it is expected that United are keen to have the 44-year-old with the squad and will name him as the team mentor. The official announcement in this regard will be made once the deal is finalised.

In other news, United’s assistant coach Tauseef Ahmed has also left the franchise and will not be taking part in the fourth edition, whereas former off-spinner Saeed Ajmal who worked with the franchise as spin bowling coach in season three, will continue his work.

The fourth edition of the tournament will start from February 14 next year. As many as eight matches including playoffs and final will be played in Lahore and Karachi.

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi will visit Islamabad in order to be a part of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft on November 20.

Ronchi broke the news in a video message where he stated: “I’m coming over for the draft this year in Islamabad and I’m really looking forward to it. Should be a lot of fun because there is a lot of hype and it’s going to be really exciting. Get behind your team and support your team.”

Ronchi played a key role in Islamabad United’s title-winning campaign during the third edition of PSL. On back of his good performance, he was also retained by the franchise for the fourth edition of the league — which is scheduled to begin on February 14, 2019.

Former Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq has refused to accept the mentorship role offered by Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United because he wants to participate as an active player in the fourth edition.

According to a statement released by United, Misbah will not be part of the team for the upcoming season of the league due to late change of decision.

Misbah — who captained the team to victory in the inaugural session of the league — was offered mentorship role by the team. However, the 44-year-old decided against it and opted to take part in the league as an active player.

“In the weeks leading up to the draft Islamabad United had reached an agreement with Misbah-ul-Haq regarding his appointment as the mentor of the franchise for PSL 4 and the editions going forward,” the press release stated. “Despite having reached that agreement, the franchise was informed yesterday that Misbah wishes to stay in players' draft for PSL4 for consideration as an active player."

It added: "As Islamabad United has already announced its retentions and has specific strategy for the Draft, picking Misbah as a player may not be possible for the franchise."

Moreover, the team had gone on to express gratitude to the player for his previous contributions and ‘wished him the best in his future endeavors.’

The right-handed batsman will now be part of the PSL draft that is scheduled to be held on November 20 in Islamabad.

“We are grateful to cricketer Luke Ronchi that he has come to Pakistan,” he said.

He said we have retained those players in the team whom we had already groomed.

“We have won the two editions of PSL and will also try to clinch the fourth cup,” he said.

He said it does not matter whether Misbah-ul-Haq is in the team or not, his respect will always be there.

Islamabad United coach Waqar Younis said, “ the aim of PSL is to promote our players. We have been very successful in our stint in the PSL so far. I hope within a year or so we will develop such players who will be playing in the World Cups”.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? That seems to be the reigning champions' philosophy, having retained the maximum allowed number of players from the previous season.

Strengths: This is a squad familiar with each other, as well as experienced in how to win this tournament. Ten players from this roster have played - and won - this title before, several of them twice. The keys to their success last season, Shadab Khan, Luke Ronchi, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Sami and Asif Ali will all reprise their roles.

Weaknesses: More so than any other format, T20 cricket is unforgiving to those resting on their laurels. And this Islamabad squad doesn't seem to have improved in a significant way, while most other sides have. The point could be made they did not need to, of course, which is a retort they have every right to make given their impeccable record.

Islamabad United batsman Luke Ronchi has said that it was a massive honour for him to be invited to Islamabad."A massive thanks to Islamabad United, the family, to get me involved before the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last season," he said. "It was an amazing time and I hope that we continue in the manner that the Islamabad United and family have played for three years."

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